I'm completely at a loss here. I lost Picasso yesterday and now today I have another poor bird in the hospital cage fighting for her life.

I'm glad my granddad wasn't home, because I think I would of killed him.

A few years back I kept Chalkie in the bird room and I'd bring him out every day to sit outside. My granddad uses these STUPID sticky strip fly and bug trapper things around the room. We didn't have all the birds we have now then, just Chalkie. One day I was bringing him out and he bated (threw a tantrum in other words) off my fist and got tangled in it. He almost died. We haven't used any of these stupid things since, I didn't like them anyways but after that I would never use one again. My granddad had put them up it must of been yesterday evening and left early this morning to go to our holiday home. I never even saw it out of the corner of my eye. I went over to the diamond doves in their breeding cage. My bird room has one of those mesh doors to prevent the birds from getting out if they get loose in the room. Cher flew straight past me and into the room. I thought, ah I have nothing to worry about. Let her settle and I'll get the net. I went to catch her with the net and suddenly she flew towards this thing which I hadn't even noticed. It all happened so fast. Next thing I know she's wrapped around it, covered in this sticky stuff and hurting to get away from it. She's never been handled by people so obviously me picking her up wasn't good either. Jack had to get her off for me because I was completely freaking out. We looked at her and realised she is bald in a lot of places. Looking at the thing in horror, I realised that she had ripped out a ton of feathers (she looks worse than Joey) and they had stuck to the thing. I've kept it elsewhere as evidence for when he gets home tomorrow because I swear I'm gunna make him eat it Jack tried to wash the stuff off his hands and could hardly do so, I knew it would be a mission to get it off her. I feel like cr*p to put it in the nicest way. I had to call him to get her while he was burrying Picasso. Urgh man. Then I bought her inside and I had to wash it off. Her feathers in most places just don't exist. She has hardly any wing feathers and two tail feathers left. She was such a beautiful bird. She let me bathe it off her after she struggled a few times and her feathers are still very sticky NOW at this very moment. I can't get the stuff off. She appears to be slowly passing away. I've done the solution in the syringe for her but she was just drowing on it. She wouldn't drink it so I didn't try again. She can't swallow. I'm so scared that if she comes round more so that the stuff might be very toxic to her, and she will either die of shock from what has happened or toxicity.

Does ANYBODY know what I could use to remove this stuff from her feathers? I'm desperate to know. I don't think she has long left unless we can sort this.

Please keep her in your thoughts like you did for Picasso yesterday. And my self if you wouldn't mind. I'm having a terrible enough time my self right now and these are just adding to it

Oh my GOD, Daisy! I can't believe this is happening to you! This is just awful, for you, for the bird, and if you get your hands on him, your grandfather!

I've heard of those strips, but have never seen or used them, so can't be of help there. We have a dishwashing liquid in the States called Dawn. It cuts grease real well, and is used to get oil from birds and animals caught in oil spills. Do you think that would help? Can you call an avian vet? She's probably in shock too.

This is just AWFUL! I'm so sorry about this. I'll keep you and your bird in my prayers.

I actually have better news. I wrote this, even though it happened a few hours ago, just before I went back to check on her. She had moved from the padding my nan had given her and hobbled away from it when I had got down there. She is also blinking now and has her eyes wide open again!!!! I went and put my hand on the outside of the tank and she hobbled away! Hopefully that stuff that I had given her and the warmth of the sun room (it's not a sunny day AT ALL, it's freezing!) with the heater on has made her feel a lot better! I might keep her in it just for tonight even if she gets fully better, just to check on her. I hope that she keeps pulling through. I've had animals suddenly get better and then the next minute drop dead so I'm not getting too excited! Hopefully she will get through this though!!!

Thank you too Jo Anne! You posted at the same time as I did. I actually used Fairy washing up liquid which I've been told they use to get off other birds but I never mentioned it because I thought I would be told off I think it's helped a bit but it hasn't done fantastic. She isn't so sticky any more though!

I sure don't think anyone here would tell you off! We've all seen the coverage of people cleaning oil off birds caught in the BP oil spill, and I think Dawn has even has it in their commercials. As long as it's rinsed off well, it should be okay.

Daisy, I hope it's not too late to help, but we used mineral oil to get that stuff off feathers in the bird shop. Not the best thing in the world, but 100x better than the pesticide on her feathers! And a lot easier to get off later, just a light dawn soap solution and warm water

Definitely try the mineral oil. Oily things usually remove sticky things. When I was a kid my mom used peanut butter to get gum out of my hair once or twice so maybe that's an option. Then a quick wash with dawn dish soap to get off the residue maybe?

OMG Daisy, you poor thing, I'm gald she seems to be doing better, I hope it continues . I looked it up and as the others said mineral oil is suppose to work, it also says vegetable oil will work too. Good luck.

Something similar happened to Sky (it was a sticky thing for mice)... but I was able to get her out. She lost some feathers, but she's fine (obviously, haha... she's kinda fat little thing :P). And it happened to CJ, but the trap was older, and lost most of its stickiness.

I know, you guys probably think I'm an awful bird owner , but I am EXTREMELY careful where I put those things...

Glad to hear it Daisy... I use sticky traps in my basement for spiders and other insects and man theY are sticky!! I accidentally caught a shrew in one... I didn't even know it was in the basement... From the looks of it , the shrew was eating the dead bugs off the paper and got caught.. Poor thing was dead when I found it... I think they're a very cruel way to catch rodents, but great for bugs!

Oh don't get me wrong they are VERY useful for killing off bugs without using spray but having a whole thing full of flighted birds and then having one escape and get caught in it can be too stressful! Poor girl. She's great now though, absolutely no concern what so ever. It just scared me to start with